Think back to the early stages of digitalization in manufacturing, when silo thinking was prevalent. There is almost no information sharing between design and planning, machine programming and production. The production engineer brings the CAD and Bill of Materials (BOM) printed on the front desk to the factory workshop to manually program the machine tools. Then, production engineers will eliminate problems that arise during the production process, rather than providing feedback on the issues and related solutions to product designers. The disconnect between design and manufacturing prevents manufacturers from improving their products to make manufacturing simpler, faster, and more economical.

But the situation has changed. Nowadays, connectivity has become a top priority for modern factories (Figure 1). Industrial Ethernet networks connect design, planning, programming, and production, allowing every part of the factory to share information with other parts and even the world. The result is the free flow of information, which enables engineers to optimize assembly processes, thereby improving productivity and quality while minimizing waste to the greatest extent possible.

Applying a Holistic Approach to Integrated Factory Automation
Figure 1: Connected factories enable engineers to quickly update assembly machine programs, maximizing quality and productivity. (Image source: Omron)

It's not that simple.
The connectivity of the entire factory is undoubtedly a good thing. But establishing such a system is not an easy task, and this is beyond doubt. Due to cost and complexity, non interoperable software and wireless protocols typically run on networks, which rely on controllers, sensors, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and human-machine interfaces (HMIs) from different manufacturers. This situation means that engineers have to spend a lot of time implementing contingency plans to ensure everything runs smoothly, at least until the next failure occurs. In order to maintain the normal operation of the system, continuous repairs are required, which will exponentially increase maintenance and upgrade costs.

There are some specialized business solutions that can overcome interoperability and compatibility challenges. These products usually have good results, but the disadvantage is that they increase the complexity and continuous fragmentation of the solution. Another approach is to adopt a holistic approach, using a fully integrated automation platform from a single supplier to coordinate network, component, and software elements.

What is a fully integrated automation platform?
The term 'fully integrated automation platform' is commonly used by marketers in promotional materials. But what does it really mean? Different people have different definitions of it, but automation supplier Omron describes it as a network connecting the information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT) departments of manufacturing plants (Figure 2).

Applying a Holistic Approach to Integrated Factory Automation
Figure 2: The fully integrated automation platform for manufacturing plants includes IT and OT networks. (Image source: Omron)

The IT department of the network consists of a front-end for design and production planning, as well as a factory automation part. Factory automation is responsible for machine programming, operator interface, and machine to machine (M2M) communication. The OT department of the integrated automation platform includes factory and machine monitoring, sensors, robots, and machine control.

Omron's Sysmac is such a platform. Sysmac simplifies the connectivity of the entire factory by utilizing industrial Ethernet connections (EtherNet/IP for IT and factory automation, EtherCAT for OT networks), standalone automation controllers, and shared monitoring software.

The automation controller is the core of the platform
The key link between IT and OT networks is the machine automation controller (referred to as the "controller"), which in Omron's solution is an industrial PC running Sysmac machine control software. The controller synchronously controls all machine movements, safety, vision, robotics, sensing, and database connections based on the manufacturing protocol determined by the IT system.

An example of a controller is Omron's NX102-1020. This controller can process information from IT databases without the need for a gateway. While providing high-speed and high-precision machine control, it can also monitor machine safety and maintain production quality. This device is based on an Intel Core i7 microprocessor and can execute basic instructions within 0.37 ns, updating instructions to the servo system and stepper motor every 125 µ s. Sensors quickly provide feedback on machine position, displacement, and clearance information to the controller. Therefore, the cam can move smoothly and the various axes of the machine can maintain high-precision motion.

The NX102-1020 (Figure 3) adopts a compact design with a width of 66 mm, featuring three industrial Ethernet ports (two EtherNet/IP and one EtherCAT), one CPU unit, and one power supply. This controller uses PLCopen function modules for motion control and complies with the IEC 61131-3 standard, which covers the basic software architecture and programming language of control programs in PLCs.